


Breathing Blue

by dcrksun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pirates, Slow Burn, Smut, and i mean Slooooooow burn, dont quote me on this next one but..., honestly its way more complicated than a tag can explain, not like fullout but after like an 18 chapter slow burn they deserve it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:27:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24989059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcrksun/pseuds/dcrksun
Summary: A pirate crew can be many things. To Lee Donghyuck, the most feared pirate captain in the Caribbean, it’s found family. To Mark Lee, the captain of a Royal Navy ship, it’s his worst nightmare. But what happens when what he hates and who he loves converge? Can he overcome these disparities, or will the secrets of their shared past drown them both?
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 36
Kudos: 106





	1. Going on a trip in our favourite pirate ship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [baridalive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/baridalive/gifts), [99CANDY](https://archiveofourown.org/users/99CANDY/gifts).



> because you always inspire me to write ✨

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the first chapter of breathing blue aka my first chaptered fic! much like the characters in this chapter, we'll be embarking on a pretty long journey (though sadly it's not on a pirate ship haha) and it's one i can't wait to share with you!!
> 
> thank you to everyone who was so excited for this story and a special thanks to ella who helped me come up with so much of this story, and to anca who you will see doing a lot of very cool things as we go on!
> 
> if you want some background music, i would seriously recommend  
> [this song](https://open.spotify.com/track/73Iw6SsjJJASNSjkcAYgZY?si=AazYWy2oRDaBePCQR3TvLQ)  
> which had on loop the whole time writing this 
> 
> happy reading ✨

**PRESENT DAY - Donghyuck**

**━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━**

**Dorado, a Pirate Island in the Caribbean Sea**

Donghyuck wakes up in a sweat that morning.  His sheets are soaked through and strands of golden hair stick to his forehead in clumps, his breathing shallow and heart racing . It's the same nightmare as always, of a boy with eyes open in shock and fear slowly tumbling to the ground as the spot of red on his crisp white shirt spreads into the pool where he will later lie, taking his last breath. It's a dream of the first man Lee Donghyuck ever killed.

It's not the actual death that jars him so much, it's the scene that follows. That one is way back in the past, back before Donghyuck's father died. Back when he was just a sixteen year old with nothing to worry about other than his budding feelings for a servant boy onboard and how good he would look in his dad's pirate hat. He's looking through his past self's eyes and at his older brother. 

'Does it ever go away?' young Donghyuck questions. 'That feeling you just can't shake, when you watch someone die?'

'I hope not,' is all Yukhei says in return but the simple phrase holds more meaning than can ever be put into words. Donghyuck understands exactly what he means; he knows that once you stop feeling like taking a life is wrong, you've lost a part of yourself — one that can never be redeemed.

Perhaps that's why the tears sting at the corner of Donghyuck's eyes now, threatening to spill onto his cheeks. The dream of the first man he ever killed, the memory of his brother… it all just serves as a painful reminder of the person he used to be. A person who whilst might've been infamous wasn't notorious. A person who was fierce but never cruel. A person whose shadow Donghyuck sees every time he looks in the mirror. 

He always knew that a part of him had been lost when his father died, but when he lost Yukhei, Donghyuck can't help but think that he lost himself.

He swallows down the tears. Crying is a weakness, and he doesn't have time for any weakness right now. 

"Donghyuck, everyone is waiting for you," comes Jaemin's voice just seconds before the door of his cabin swings open. "Could you hurry the fuck u—"

Jaemin trails off once he has a moment to take in the scene in front of him and honestly, Donghyuck isn't surprised. He can't see his reflection from where he's sitting on his bed but he doubts it's a pretty sight. 

"Is that really how you talk to your captain?" Donghyuck questions before Jaemin has a chance to ask something stupid like whether he's okay or not. 

Luckily for Donghyuck, his quartermaster knows him well enough not to push a topic he's clearly trying to avoid. 

"Mmh, well, you're not only my captain, are you?" Jaemin smirks, leaning against the doorframe and he looks so effortlessly gorgeous that Donghyuck can't help but think he's nearly as beautiful as he is insufferable.

"Damn, are you saying you're sleeping with your captain for preferential treatment?" Donghyuck quips as he stands from his place on the bed — a non-serious accusation but it's nice to fall back into the rhythm of their bickering on a morning like this.

"Well, is it working?" Jaemin laughs, stepping forward until he's just inches away from Donghyuck, letting his hands rest just above his hips. 

"Guess you'll find out later," Donghyuck replies, a slow smirk growing on his lips, but instead of kissing Jaemin, he pushes the boy playfully towards the door. "I'm all sticky, let me freshen up. Tell the crew I'll be out in ten minutes."

"Aye, aye captain," Jaemin says with a mock salute, a bemused smile accompanying the shaking of his head as he retreats out of the room.

In typical Jaemin fashion, he leaves the door wide open, making Donghyuck walk over to close it. He stays there for a moment, back pressed against the wood, head tilted towards the ceiling and heart heavy — but that's all he allows himself to have: one moment. 

"That was eleven and a half minutes, captain." Jaemin's voice interrupts Donghyuck's thoughts for a second time that morning as he strides out of his room, now fully dressed and his hat covering freshly washed hair.

"Think you could use your mouth for something other than making insolent comments?" Donghyuck complains with a roll of his eyes. He realises the mistake in his words as soon as they leave his lips but he doesn't have time to correct them before Jaemin laughs.

"I most definitely can." He grins, and this time, Donghyuck doesn't make any move to resist as Jaemin steps closer to him, relishing in the fire that courses through his veins when their lips meet.

Not thirty seconds pass before Donghyuck hears Jaehyun awkwardly clearing his throat. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, captain, but I was under the impression that we had things to do today," he says in the kind of teasing tone that Donghyuck wouldn't dream of allowing anyone else to get away with — but Jaehyun is the closest thing he has left to a brother and that comes with its privileges. 

"Well then, I guess we can't just stand around here chatting, can we?" Donghyuck grins after he pulls away from Jaemin, heading for the stairs that lead up to the deck without sparing either of the boys a second glance.

"Morning, Captain," Taeil and Doyoung greet him practically at the same time.

"Morning, boys." Donghyuck nods, his eyes drifting from the two boys to the bustling bay area of the island where they are currently docked. 

Dorado. It will always be one of Donghyuck's favourite places in the whole Caribbean. Drunken, boisterous, always loud and always full of life, but filled with just the right amount of danger and thrill — let's just say there's a reason it's known as pirate heaven. The sun is barely up and the dock is already a bustling chaos. 

Donghyuck's attention is drawn back to his crew when out of the corner of his eye, he catches Taeil begrudgingly handing a small bag of gold to Jaehyun. 

"If you guys made a bet about Jaemin and me, I swear to god—" He leaves the threat hanging but the hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips makes it clear that he's joking.

"As if you didn't bet about when Jaehyun and I would finally get together," Doyoung laughs.

"Don't even remind me, Doyoung," he shakes his head. "I lost a good chunk of gold over the two of you taking a year to admit your feelings."

"You know Captain, if you do want to forbid betting and tell Jae to give me my money back, I wouldn't be mad," Taeil shrugs, and Donghyuck finds himself laughing at the comment.

"Damn, Taeil, talk about stabbing people in the back." Jaehyun shoves him, making everyone laugh, so loud that Donghyuck's favourite sound rings across the deck of the ship. 

The sound accompanies them through the dock and through the long winding streets of the island, all the way until they get to the tavern that serves as their destination. 

The Devil's Horn reminds Donghyuck of something his father always used to say, about drunk people being the best informants and taverns like this being goldmines. He remembers sitting at the bar for hours, learning how to listen, how to sneak questions into small talk, how to trade in secrets and mysteries. 

In many ways, Dorado is where Donghyuck became a real man, and more importantly, a real pirate. 

"What's the plan, captain?" Doyoung asks, leaning against the slanted brick wall of the tavern, his gaze switching between his crewmates and the entrance to the right of them.

Donghyuck glances over the four boys standing in front of him, eyebrows furrowed like he's reading invisible equations as he quickly decides how he's splitting up the crew.

"Jaemin, Doyoung and Taeil, you are going to stay here and find out everything you can about the Falcon's Fury _.  _ I'm getting very tired of those bastards somehow always being just one step behind us. Jaehyun and I are going to check out a different lead."

"Don't get too drunk," he adds, ignoring the questioning looks of the others as he tosses a bag of gold to Jaemin. "I want you all back on the Tide at sundown."

A chorus of "Aye, captain!" meets Donghyuck's ears as half of his crew heads into the tavern, leaving just him and Jaehyun standing outside.

"So what's this other lead?" Jaehyun asks with a raise of his eyebrows as the two of them start walking into the so-called 'magical quarter' of the island. 

"We're going to find Ten," Donghyuck answers simply.

"Ten? As in the seer, Ten?" Jaehyun questions, an expression of confusion painted across his features. "I thought you didn't believe in that kind of thing."

"Oh, I definitely believe in it. I just really don't like it," Donghyuck mutters.

The rest of their walk passes in silence, mostly because Donghyuck is becoming increasingly nervous with every step he takes down the bendy cobblestone paths. This part of the island is significantly different to the part where they had left the rest of the crew and it's not just because of its physical characteristics. 

Admittedly, what Donghyuck notices first is the disappearance of people and light, how the narrow dwindling roads seem only to lead towards darkness filled with eerie music he can’t quite source — but there's something else too, something he can't quite describe. If it didn't sound so terribly corny and Donghyuck didn't hate this place as much as he does, perhaps he could even say that he could feel the magic in the air. 

"We're here." Donghyuck stops in front of the beaded curtain for a few moments too long as he can’t help but recall the last time he was here. He can't help the anger that starts to boil up inside of him as he remembers standing in this same spot with his brother, as he remembers the words that foreshadowed his death but didn't serve as a clear enough warning.

For a split second when Jaehyun places a hand on his shoulder, Donghyuck almost thinks it's Yukhei. He shakes the thought along with Jaehyun's hand, parting the curtains and stepping inside.

"Captain Lee Donghyuck. Fancy seeing you back here," comes a voice from the shadows and Donghyuck doesn't even bother to think about how the man knew exactly who he was just seconds after he stepped inside.

"You can drop the whole mystery act, Chittaphon. Just tell me what I want to know, what you want in exchange and we'll be on our merry way." Donghyuck's tone is ice cold as he speaks, waiting for Ten to emerge into the dim light given by the candles that illuminate the small room.

"Well, that's no way to greet an old friend, is it?" Ten steps forward with a smirk adorning his lips that makes Donghyuck's hand curl into a fist.

"I'm sure it's not," he says after a moment. "But you're not my friend. Old or otherwise."

"I heard about your brother. Please, accept my—"

"Don't you dare say you’re sorry," Donghyuck cuts him off. "You are in no position to apologise to me. You knew he was going to die, but you didn't have the decency to tell us straight up. You had to use your stupid riddles. If you cared about either of us, you wouldn't have done that — so don't pretend to care now." 

"You know as well I do that being a seer has its limits. I can't tell you how to prevent a death, Donghyuck. It would mess with the balance of nature." 

Ten sounds so calm — too calm — and Donghyuck finds himself reaching for the dagger in his belt without a second thought. It's Jaehyun's hand on his that stops him as the boy steps forward, extending a hand to Ten.

"I'm Jaehyun, Donghyuck's gunner on the Burning Tide," he introduces himself. "Perhaps we should get straight to business. There's no point dwelling on the past when we have such urgent matters to discuss."

Donghyuck takes a deep breath, lowering the blade until it's sheathed again before taking a seat on the leather couch Ten pinpoints for the two of them.

"We want information on the whereabouts of the Sphere of Talos," he says after a moment. "I know most think it's a myth, but we have reason to believe otherwise."

"I know what you want, boy. I also know that it exists," Ten replies swiftly. "The real question is, do you really know what obtaining this ball entails? Are you ready to—"

"As I've said, I don't need the mystery act. Do you know where to find it or not?"

"I can point you in the direction of someone who does," Ten says after a moment of contemplation. Donghyuck is already reaching into his pocket for some gold as payment when Ten speaks again. "I don't want your money, Lee Donghyuck. You've paid enough already and if you can still find it in yourself to trust me, you're going to keep paying for this decision for a long time to come."

The words stir something inside Donghyuck. A memory, vague and pushed to the back of his mind but painful as ever: the memory of a boy with bright blonde hair and chocolate eyes, with crisp white shirts and smiles that light up the room — the memory of a boy who had told him something very similar. 

For what seems like the hundredth time today and the millionth time in his life, Donghyuck pushes away the pain that so undeniably resides in every inch of his body.

"I don't need your charity," he scoffs, his voice sounding far more powerful than he feels as he places down a bag of gold on the table that's far bigger than the sum he was initially going to pay. "Now tell me, where do I have to go?"

"There's a Royal Navy ship called War Storm. If you leave Dorado as the sun sets, you should intercept them near the islets of Danoi Bay. The ship's captain should be able to help you find what it is you're looking for."

"Then we better be on our way," Donghyuck nods. "I would say until we see each other again, but I sincerely hope that will be never."

"Always brutally honest," Ten chuckles. "I wish you the best of luck, Donghyuck. Don't get yourself killed."

Donghyuck can't help but ponder over those words as he and Jaehyun start their walk back up the same narrow dwindling paths toward the docks. This is exactly why he hates people like Ten. They always put him on edge, unsure of what to expect, unsure what meaning their words hold. 

"Well our day just got a whole lot more exciting," Jaehyun grins, his voice bringing Donghyuck back to the real world. 

"Let's hope the others found out something useful about the Fury," Donghyuck nods. "I really don't want them ruining our plans. Again."

"I honestly don't get it, Hyuck. How do they always seem to know exactly where we are?"

Donghyuck feels the exact same frustration he hears in Jaehyun's voice. The crew of the Falcon's Fury have been nothing but a constant pain since their very first encounter and with both of them searching for the Sphere of Talos, it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. 

"All I know is that I have a bad feeling about this," Donghyuck mutters. "My father told me about them when I was little, about the warlocks who were cursed to lose their powers but only became more ruthless and dangerous. It sounded like a bedtime story back then but it seems he wasn't wrong about them being dangerous."

"Luckily for us, so are we," Jaehyun grins and Donghyuck can't help but smile with him. Whatever life throws at them, he knows that his crew will be by his side. He would not only kill for those boys but he would give his life for them, and he trusts every single one of them to do the same for him.

"Looks like the crew is back already," Jaehyun points out as they round a corner, the Burning Tide now clearly in their line of sight.

Donghyuck's heart swells as he watches the half of his crew on board, tying knots and lowering sails, getting ready for the ship to depart as the sun sinks slowly towards the horizon behind them. As far as Donghyuck is concerned, there's nothing quite as satisfying as watching his crew working together like a well-oiled machine on the most beautiful ship he's ever seen.

Doyoung often jokes that if Donghyuck ever looks at someone the way he looks at his ship, it will be true love — and honestly, that's not far from the truth. There is only one thing Donghyuck loves more than his ship and if anyone ever makes him feel like the sea,  _ that  _ will be true love.

Donghyuck's eyes wander to the sea now as he walks aboard the ship, admiring the dark turquoise of its waves and the intricate game it plays with the last beams of golden sunlight. He's excited to set off tonight, excited to be on open water and most importantly, to finally make some progress on this seemingly never ending quest.

"We've got good news." Jaehyun's booming voice echoes across the deck, grabbing everyone's attention. "Erm, the captain will share them, of course," he adds haphazardly and much more quietly as soon as he catches the small glare Donghyuck shoots him.

"Jaehyun is right to be excited," Donghyuck starts with a forgiving chuckle as Jaemin, Taeil and Doyoung all gather closely around him. "We went to a seer, and he told us that the captain of a certain naval ship holds the answers we’re looking for.”

“He also told us that if we leave by sundown, we should intercept the ship near the islets of Danoi Bay.” Jaehyun finishes the sentence for him but Donghyuck doesn’t bother to scold him. 

“So, we set sail for Danoi Bay,” Doyoung says, waiting for Donghyuck’s confirmation, which he gives with a small nod of his head.

“Once we’re on course, I want everybody to get some rest. Doyoung will catch me up on what you found out about the Fury but the rest of you are having an early night.” His announcement comes with quite a grumble but Donghyuck isn’t taking any of it, not now. 

“Danoi Bay is approximately ten hours from here, meaning we’ll be getting there at the crack of dawn. You lot are already bad enough in the morning, let alone at four am.”

Donghyuck’s tone is firm, his decision final, and his crew knows him well enough not to question it as they head off to their respective duties in getting the Tide back on the sea. 

The island of Dorado fades into the distance behind them just as the last rays of the dying sun stroke Donghyuck’s cheeks. He’s standing at the helm now, staring ahead of him, almost like he’s trying to somehow look into the future.

“Everyone’s in their quarters,” Doyoung’s voice sounds from behind him and Donghyuck feels arms wrap around his waist. It’s comforting to have someone there and he lets himself lean into Doyoung’s touch for a few seconds, eyes never leaving the horizon.

“What did you find out today?” 

“Nothing too useful,” Doyoung sighs. “We spoke to a few sailors who saw them at Qatra two days ago. Apparently, they were heading for Dorado so it’s possible they were there at the same time as us.”

“They weren’t in the main docks,” Donghyuck mutters, his entire body tensing up at the notion that the Falcon’s Fury could be so close behind them again. “But there’s a couple of smaller ones around the island if one wants to stay out of sight. We have to keep an eye on anyone following us.”

“We’ll be fine this time,” Doyoung reassures him, his hands moving to Donghyuck’s shoulders. “You should listen to your own advice, Hyuck. Get some rest.”

“I doubt I’ll be getting much sleep tonight,” Donghyuck mutters. “This is our big opportunity, Doyoung. I need to be ready.”

“You’ve been having your dreams again, haven’t you?” 

“No.”

“You know I can tell when you’re lying to me, right?” Doyoung pushes, like he always does. He doesn’t often let things go, not knowing when it’s time to drop a topic. Donghyuck knows he always has the best intentions but this isn’t a conversation he’s willing to have right now, and he doesn’t appreciate being pushed to have it.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Donghyuck says, his voice coming out far sharper than he intended and he can feel Doyoung recoil slightly behind him.

He knows he should apologise, but honestly, apologies aren’t his strong suit. 

“I’ll see you in the morning,” is all he manages, his tone far softer, and Doyoung nods his head in understanding.

“See you in the morning, captain,” he replies with a faint smile. “Try to get some sleep.”

As predicted, Donghyuck’s attempts at falling asleep are far from successful. He doesn’t need to dream to see Yukhei’s face in front of him, nightmare visions playing as soon as he closes his eyes. He doesn’t trust his mind enough to relax, and as soon as the morning sun begins to rise, so does a very sleep deprived Donghyuck. 

From the sound of it, Taeil is already awake, probably waking up the others since he’s the only one Donghyuck can hear speaking. With peace of mind that the rest of his crew is getting ready for the day, he steps out onto the main deck. 

“Looking good, captain,” Jaemin whistles and Donghyuck looks up to see him standing on the sterncastle deck, one hand on the helm of the ship.

Donghyuck chuckles. He likes to make an effort for times like this — he can’t have people talking about the notorious but badly dressed pirate captain, Lee Donghyuck.

“Not so bad yourself.” He grins as he climbs the stairs until he’s standing next to Jaemin. “Have you been up for long?”

“I switched with Doyoung around one. I couldn’t sleep, plus I figured he could do with getting some rest.”

“You okay?” Donghyuck questions. He knows that like him, Jaemin has been through his fair share of bad life experiences and he isn’t exactly a stranger to nightmares.

“I think I should be the one asking you that.” Jaemin raises an eyebrow as he scans over Donghyuck. “I bet you didn’t sleep a single second last night. You look like death.”

“I thought you said I looked good.” Donghyuck smirks, deflecting the question with a joke.

“Both of you look like shit,” Jaehyun grumbles as he emerges up the stairs. Usually, Donghyuck would take at least mock offence to the statement but, not only is it best to just ignore anything Jaehyun says before ten, it also happens to perfectly distract from the topic he’s trying to avoid. 

“Someone get this man a coffee or he’s going to be a nightmare for the rest of the—”

“Guys! There’s a ship on the horizon!” Jaemin’s complaint is cut off by Taeil’s shout. 

Donghyuck’s gaze moves to the forecastle deck where Taeil and Doyoung are standing, then towards the horizon where he can just catch the outline of a ship. 

“Doyoung, keep us heading towards the ship. Jaehyun, get down to the berth, take Jaemin with you. I’m going to climb up to the crow’s nest and check out exactly what we’re dealing with. Keep the pirate flag down for now, I don’t want them preparing for an attack.” Donghyuck gives his orders swiftly and smoothly and as soon as the rest of his crew turn to their tasks, he’s climbing the ratline. 

Once he’s up in the nest, he immediately pulls out the brass telescope in his jacket pocket, adjusting the focus until he gets a clear view of the ship. It’s definitely a navy ship, one of the fifty-gun fourth rate ships of the line. The ship’s dark blue body is embossed with gold and Donghyuck can just about make out the letters on the starboard spelling out War Storm.

They’ve got their target.

“It looks like most of the crew is still below the deck, I only saw one person at the helm,” he announces once he’s climbed down. “This shouldn’t be too hard. Ideally, we can capture the sailing master as a hostage to get the rest of the crew to cooperate.”

“You really think they’ll surrender to save one of their crew?” Taeil questions and Donghyuck can tell from the way he’s twirling his silver blade that he’s itching for a fight.

“I don’t think anything, Taeil. I know things.” Donghyuck smirks glancing towards the ship that he can now clearly see with his bare eyes. “Navy brats and their pathetic loyalty make them easy targets. Now, go, fetch Jaemin for me. I doubt we will be needing our cannons today but I want Jaehyun staying in the berth, just in case.”

“He looked disappointed to miss a fight,” Doyoung remarks from the helm as soon as Taeil disappears below deck.

“He’ll learn,” Donghyuck defends. “He’s still young. He doesn’t know that there’s more to being a pirate than excitement and fights.”

“Sometimes it surprises me that  _ you _ know the difference,” Doyoung notes with a small smile. “You’ve really grown up, huh?”

“I think losing your family does that to you.”

Doyoung’s smile dies as quickly as it came and Donghyuck can’t help but feel bad. He didn’t mean anything by the words but he can certainly understand that they aren’t the nicest to speak to the people who became his family since he lost the one formed by blood.

“Let’s get this party started,” Jaemin declares, his voice interrupting the awkward silence that now hung between the two men. “We have a captain to question and a treasure to find.”

“That we do,” Donghyuck grins, satisfied with the vision in his head of how things are going to play out.

The location is undeniably perfect for an attack. Judging by the speed the two ships are travelling at, they will be well within firing distance of each other just beside the islets of Danoi Bay and since the uninhabited isles act as stopping points for a good few ships, the man aboard the War Storm’s deck shouldn’t be suspicious of their proximity — at least not until it’s too late. Donghyuck can almost taste the celebratory rum on his lips. 

“Tactic eighty one seems to be in order,” he announces, referring to the book of tactics he had received from his father for his sixteenth birthday, which he had not only memorised perfectly but made the entirety of his crew learn. The swift orders that don’t need to be spoken out loud have served them well in past battles and would no doubt keep doing the same, including today.

Donghyuck observes from the helm as the two ships draw closer and closer together, the boyish looking man standing at the wheel so unsuspecting that he even raises a hand in greeting towards them.

Donghyuck almost feels bad as he watches Jaemin swing across the remaining distance between their ships, landing right behind him on the deck. Within seconds, he’s holding a knife to the man’s neck, pushing him away from the wheel and against the mast. 

With the morning wind and the distance between them, Donghyuck can’t catch their conversation but he assumes that what leaves the man’s mouth is a cry for help because the rest of the crew begins to emerge from below the deck shortly afterwards.

“Shall we greet our captives?” Taeil smirks from beside Donghyuck and he can’t help but chuckle. He likes the fight in the boy, he always has. Perhaps if he were more sentimental, he’d even say that Taeil reminds him a little of his younger self.

Donghyuck’s heels click against the ship’s mahogany flooring as he leaps gracefully from his own ship onto the War Storm’s deck, his cape billowing behind him. 

“Who’s your captain?” he demands as he stares at the surprisingly small crew gathered in front of him.

“That would be me,” comes a voice from above and Donghyuck knows who it is even before a figure drops down in front of him, seemingly having jumped from the crow’s nest.

There, with his sword pointed at Donghyuck’s throat and an undeniable look of determination on his face, stands none other than Mark Lee. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you enjoyed this first chapter, please let me know what you think in the comments down below!! 
> 
> thank you for reading and i'll see you in the next chapter
> 
> find me 🥰💓  
> [ curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dcrksun)  
> &  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/dcrksun)


	2. Just as planned, except for the pirates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter two of breathing blue! sorry i took so long to update, life's been a whirlwind and i had a pretty bad writers block but chapter three will be coming soon i promise :D
> 
> thank you sooo much for all the love on chapter one and i hope you enjoy chapter two just as much! 
> 
> happy reading ✨

**PRESENT DAY - Mark**

**━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━**

**Fort Regal, an Island in the Caribbean Sea**

Mark wakes up to someone shaking him, someone whose name he can't quite recall right this moment. 

Granted, his inability to remember the name of the boy he just slept with is something he feels pretty bad about, but recently, his nighttime memories seem to be shrouded in a mist of alcohol and tobacco smoke more often than not.

"Didn't you say your ship was leaving at ten?" the man asks with a slightly panicked edge to his voice.

"I did indeed," Mark replies, letting his eyes flutter open slowly as he adjusts to the sunlight. His voice is still a little raspy from sleep, his words coming out slow. "Why are you asking?"

"Because it's ten minutes past ten," comes the response. 

Mark is late — something he wishes he could say that was unlike him, but honestly, being on time has never been one of his strengths. Sometimes he genuinely wonders how the hell he even made it through the naval academy without getting kicked out. The conclusion he comes to is that it was approximately twenty percent his own merit and eighty percent his barrack mates Johnny and Yuta pouring a bucket of water over him and dragging him out of bed in the mornings.

"Why aren't you rushing and panicking?" the man questions, clearly confused. "You do know if you miss your ship's departure without reason, you're at best out of work for a few months and at worst getting fired, right?"

"Well." Mark chuckles, lazily sitting up in bed and pushing the white linen sheets off his body. "When I said it's my ship, I was being literal. My crew won't leave without their captain."

"Aren't you a little young to be a captain?" The disbelief is crystal clear in the man's voice. 

"Mmh, well maybe I would be if I wasn't so darn good at my job," Mark smirks, pulling on his clothes with little haste. 

As soon as he's dressed, he's out the door. 

Walking down the stairs and into the bar below the inn, some of his memories from last night begin to clear up. It's still a little foggy but now he distinctly remembers sitting at the corner table and playing the very drinking games responsible for his current headache. There's also flashes from later that night, of the man he woke up with this morning, his smile, his laugh, his tongue licking into Mark's mouth, the way he tasted of honey and rum... no name, still, but Mark supposes it doesn't matter so much. After all, a one night stand is all that he was — all that anyone ever is when life is so busy and one spends most of it on a ship.

Mark is pulled out of his semi-successful attempts of piecing together his night by a loud voice. As he steps through the wooden door of the inn and into the harsh Mediterranean sunlight, he quickly recognises the source of the shouting as the owner of the inn, Yangyang. The focus of his anger seems to be the young boy currently pinned against the wall, undoubtedly by someone who was just drinking their morning pint at the bar.

Judging by the rusty anchor that usually hangs above the entrance but is now lying discarded on the ground, he's being accused of attempting to steal it. Or, more accurately, playing a part in stealing it, because he's currently trying to persuade Yangyang that he had nothing to do with the crime and that he was merely just passing by.

It's a weak attempt at a lie, although the boy does have a certain look of innocence, especially with those pleading eyes. Mark recognises him, not by name (that seems to be a common characteristic of people he sees this morning) but because he's seen him around the port a fair few times.

He's always dressed in ragged clothes and looks like he could really use a shower, and Mark's seem him nicking food from the market stalls a couple of times too. He's probably one of the many orphan kids trying to somehow make it in the city, and Mark can't help but feel sorry for the kid. 

"Yangyang, let him go," he speaks without much thought. "He's not one of the thieves."

"Commodore Lee," Yangyang greets him with a nod of his head. "With all due respect, he was right here. How do you know he isn't one of them?"

"Because he was right here to meet me," Mark replies swiftly. "He's the new servant on my ship.

Mark isn't sure who looks more surprised, Yangyang or the boy — but honestly, he's a little confused himself too. It was an impulsive decision to lie for the boy, but he can't help but feel like it's the right one. 

"So, will you let my boy go?" he repeats with a raise of his eyebrow.

Yangyang nods and the man that was pinning him to the wall drops him without another word. It's one of the perks of being a commodore now and captaining his own ship, people seem to respect him far more than they ever have before. Honestly, he's still not quite used to the way people actually listen to him now, the way they really care about what he has to say. 

It feels so wrong to him though that the only reason people care for what he has to say is a title he holds. Granted, it's a title he worked hard to earn and works hard every day to prove he deserves, but as someone who was born a servant, there's just such an inherent injustice in the idea that his societal value is the only thing that defines his worth. Johnny always teases him for being so ideological and wanting to change the world, and in some ways, Mark agrees; he knows it's a wild dream to want to make the world a better place. Then again, there are moments like now — opportunities to do the right thing — and Mark likes to think that by taking them, he is making the world that much better a place. 

"Why did you do that, captain?" the boy asks as soon as they're out of earshot of the bystanders at the inn, keeping his gaze on the ground. "Why did you lie for me?"

"I didn't lie." Mark chuckles as they walk down to the port where the ships are moored.

"Excuse me, sir? What do you mean?"

"What's your name, boy?"

"Zhong Chenle," he introduces himself, shyly extending his arm towards Mark for him to shake.

"Well, Zhong Chenle." Mark smiles, taking the boy's hand. "I'm your captain, Mark Lee. Welcome to the crew of the War Storm."

**━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━**

Luckily for Mark who already has a lot on his mind, the crew is more than welcoming towards the new Captain's Servant.

"Johnny, show the boy to his hammock for me, would you? Maybe show him around the ship too," Mark instructs after brief introductions. "We have a new mission to talk about, but I'll catch you up on everything when you're back."

"Captain, if you don't mind, maybe I should go," Taeyong intercepts, just as Johnny is putting his hand on Chenle's shoulder, ready to guide him below the deck.

"And why might that be?" Mark hums in question.

"The boy's pretty scratched up, looks a little malnourished too. He could do with some of my potions." As soon as Taeyong speaks, Mark knows he's right. Chenle certainly doesn't look to be in the best shape and well, what do they have a healer for if not to heal people?

"You're right," Mark agrees. "And Tae? Put him in my cabin for tonight. The boy could use a proper night's rest."

Taeyong frowns at that and Mark knows exactly why that is. It has nothing to do with Chenle sleeping in the captain's quarters and everything to do with the fact that Mark sacrifices a good night's sleep with such ease because he wouldn't be getting it anyway, bed or not. He blamed it on the stresses of captaincy but honestly, it's more the memories that being out on the sea stirs up inside him — the face of a boy who keeps popping up in his dreams — that keeps him from sleeping. 

Mark cocks an eyebrow, waiting for Taeyong to question him or leave before he turns back to the rest of his crew. 

"We have a new mission, boys, and it's our most important one yet," he declares.

"Like you'll get promoted to admiral kind of important?" Jeno grins, leaning against the foremast.

"Like a war will break out if we mess this up kind of important," he corrects before catching Jeno's eyes, letting himself smile just for the fraction of a second. "And well, I guess preventing a war might warrant a promotion."

"Heck yeah, Markie," Johnny grins, patting Mark on the shoulders far too enthusiastically for someone with as large a build as him. 

"So what's the mission?" Yuta asks with a raise of his eyebrow. "What could we possibly be doing to prevent a war?"

"Well, it's not exactly a secret that Ithanos and Samarosea are far from being on good terms. I haven't been told any details — it's all on a need to know basis — but there's a really important meeting taking place next week on Ithanos which requires the presence of a royal ambassador from Samarosea," Mark explains. "It's our responsibility to make sure the ambassador gets there safely by the time the sun rises on the third day of the week next week."

"Well, that sounds pretty manageable," Johnny shrugs.

"And definitely promotion worthy," Jeno smirks.

"It does, in fact, sound a little too good to be true," Yuta notes.

"The admiral said it shouldn't be a hard mission," Mark nods. "Given its importance, it's in no way one to be underestimated, but I do happen to have the best crew in all of the Caribbean so I'm not too worried."

"So, we're setting sail for Samarosea, captain?" Yuta asks, already pulling out the roll of map paper that he carries everywhere with him in the breast pocket of his doublet.

"Indeed, we are," Mark smiles, just as Taeyong emerges from below the deck. 

"I patched up the boy and he's sleeping in your cabin now, cap. Fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow."

"Good." Mark smiles. It's probable the poor boy hasn't slept in a proper bed in longer than he can remember; he deserves a good night's rest. "We'll get him started on his chores tomorrow. He's going to come out of this an impeccable sailor, I just know it. As for you lousy lot, I doubt the sails are going to hoist themselves!" 

Everyone laughs then and soon they are getting to work, the new mission and a potential promotion on the horizon putting the crew in a cheery mood. 

Unsurprisingly, the night ends in drinks, and as the rum burns his throat and the laughter of his fellow sailors feels his ears, Mark is taken back to a time that was simultaneously much simpler and so much harder. 

"You guys should get some rest," he says at around three in the morning as the ship soars through the unusually calm water. "With any luck, we should get to Samarosea shortly after sunset tomorrow, and we have plenty to do before then."

"Aye aye, Captain," Taeyong grins, swaying slightly as he stands up, rum bottle still in his hand.

"I'll take that now," Johnny chuckles, snatching the bottle just in time before Taeyong practically stumbles into Yuta's lap, making the latter blush furiously. 

"I, erm, I'll take him to his cabin," Yuta mutters, hooking an arm under Taeyong's arms and helping him up. "God, you're an idiot, you know that?"

"You know you love it," Mark catches Taeyong saying just before the two stumble below the deck and he can imagine perfectly the blush that spreads across Yuta's cheeks at the drunken implication that definitely holds true when the two are sober. Honestly, Mark can't wrap his mind around how those two aren't dating yet and somehow still stuck in the endless pining section of their relationship.

He brushes the thought away as he walks over to the helm of the ship, eyes resting on the horizon. It's more beautiful than any painting, the way the stars illuminate the dark sky, their light bleeding into the waters below, creating swirls and spirals that leave Mark mesmerised — the way the sea always does. 

The wind whooshing over the calm surface of the water and the gentle waves lapping at the side of his ship create a symphony so perfect Mark can't help but think that maybe this is what it really means to hear the song of a siren. Who could blame someone for jumping into the soft blue waters when they make him feel so safe, so at home?

The quiet hum of the sea lulls him closer to sleep with each passing second. With Chenle sleeping in his room, sleeping in his own bed isn't really an option but Mark can't find it in himself to mind as he climbs the mainmast, settling into the crow's nest. He pulls out the blanket and pillow he keeps in his favourite spot, his eyes never leaving the night sky for longer than a few seconds. 

As he lies there, eyes trained on the stars that glint like diamonds studding the blanket hugging the world, his mind wanders to a boy whose eyes shine so bright they make the stars look dim in comparison, and to the words Mark remembers writing as clearly as if it had been yesterday.

_We will meet again. In another lifetime, under the same stars._

**━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━**

Having worked on a ship for years now, Mark is used to unexpected wake up calls, but the shouting he hears from below as his eyes flutter open immediately stands out as different. Firstly, the noise is devoid of the usual drunken cheer or even the quiet worry with which the crew deals with any sudden problems — but far more importantly, there is another ship docked next to theirs. 

A pirate ship, Mark realises, dread running through his veins as he takes in the sight before him. 

His nerves aren't eased as he glances down at his crew, at the knife pressed against Yuta's throat and at the others, all standing protectively in front of Chenle, no sign of the fact that they have only known the young boy for a matter of hours. 

"Who's your captain?" The question travels up to the crow's nest easily in the silence of the night and Mark knows he doesn't have much time to step in if he wants the element of surprise on his side. With as little noise and as much agility as he can muster, he leaps towards one of the loose ropes in the ship's rigging, dropping to the ground. It seems that he's in luck today because he lands perfectly between his crew and the man who just spoke. 

Mark pulls out his sword in seconds, the blade pressed under the boy's chin with just enough pressure to draw blood but not enough to cause any real damage. He raises his eyes from the small line of red that now adorns the boy's neck, just over his bobbing Adam's apple, meeting his eyes — eyes that make Mark's blood run cold.

Lee Donghyuck. He looks different in so many ways. He's filled out since Mark last saw him, broad back and toned chest, strong jawline and a sort of rugged handsomeness that fits perfectly with the knowledge that he's a pirate captain. He looks older and not just by the years that have passed, but by troubles and losses he's no doubt had to deal with.

It's his eyes that haven't changed. Eyes that sparkle like the sea and hold all the emotion in the world. Eyes that remind Mark of the boy he used to be rather than the man that stands in front of him now. Eyes that make him feel guilty for having been one of the losses that have made Donghyuck age beyond his years.

"Hyuck." The name falls from his lips before he can stop himself, almost inaudible.

Donghyuck's eyes are as wide as his, but he collects himself quicker, taking advantage of Mark's shock to disarm him in one swift movement, twisting his arm behind his body, sword clattering to the ground.

Mark hates himself for the way his heart races as Donghyuck's arms wrap around him. The close contact, the scent of salt and something sweet send him back in time in a way that dizzies him.

The daze ends when he hits the floor, Donghyuck glaring down at him, his expression now unflinching and cold, not at all like he's looking at an old acquaintance, even less so like he's looking at someone he once cared about. 

"Get up," Donghyuck orders and Mark finds himself following the order.

"What do you want?" he glares and he steps closer to his crew, one arm extending out protectively as he speaks. 

"Right now, I want your crew on my ship," comes the response and Mark knows that's usual pirate procedure but the idea of leaving his ship in the hands of these savages makes his stomach flip upside down with nausea. Donghyuck wouldn't hurt them, would he?

"I beg your pardon?"

"Not yet." Donghyuck smirks. "But trust me, you will if you don't do as I say."

Mark glances back at his crewmates — the friends he's grown to call his family — and his new protegee, all unarmed and frightened, and he knows that they wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. His best chance is to pray that Donghyuck wouldn't actually hurt them. 

Usually, he would trust that if they just cooperated and gave up whatever gold it is they are carrying, pirates would have no reason to harm them, but given that the only valuable thing they are currently carrying is information — information that could lead to war fallen into the wrong hands — the situation isn't so easy. 

For now, Mark doesn't see another option but to cooperate, sending a small nod towards his crew to signal his agreement before stepping towards the plank that now connects their two ships. 

It only shakes slightly thanks to the grappling hooks that are keeping the War Storm in place next to Donghyuck's ship, but Mark is still relieved when he makes it across to the other side. He surveys his surroundings, trying to take in every detail that could be the difference between life and death if they attempted their escape. 

Unfortunately, Donghyuck still doesn't have the unruly nature of a pirate and every element of this trap seems meticulously perfect.

Too perfect, even. How on earth did Donghyuck's crew find them in the middle of the sea? Could it have been an accident? If there was even the slightest possibility that the pirates weren't after information regarding Ambassador Kun, maybe they could play this off, tell them they weren't carrying anything valuable right now, give them their food and weapons, make way for the nearest island…

"We want information," Donghyuck declares, the word interrupting Mark's hopeful thinking brutally.

"Then you're in the wrong place." Mark spits, doing his best to sound as cold as Donghyuck is acting. His crew can't know how he knows and cared for the boy; they would never respect him again as their captain. "I would sooner die than tell you anything."

"I wonder if your crew feels the same." Donghyuck cocks an eyebrow and Mark can hear the smirk in his voice as he turns his attention to the rest of Mark's crew, eying them like a predator eyes its prey. 

His quiet pause feels like an eternity, dragging on for uncomfortably long, tense like the calm before a storm — a dangerous and unpredictable one for sure if Donghyuck is involved. 

"Because trust me, I will watch every single one of them die a slow and painful death if that's what it takes for me to get the answers I want." The words that finally break the silence bring Mark no comfort, especially not with Donghyuck's cool tone and even colder eyes that move back to meet his.

Mark can't help but gulp as Donghyuck steps towards him but he refuses to step back, shoulders squared and chest puffed out as the distance between them lessens. From this close up, he can study Donghyuck's features perfectly, from the elegant curve of his nose, through his full lips to his ocean coloured eyes — and yet, he still feels like he can't see anything of the boy before him. The brows that used to knit together in frustration and worry now remain perfectly arched, mouth set in a stiff line and gaze unflinching. 

"We don't negotiate with pirates," Mark replies, lifting his chin so his eyes are level with Donghyuck.

He considers how close they are, how he could pin Donghyuck with the dagger he always hides in his boot if only he moved fast enough, how that could shift this negotiating game to his advantage. He debates how fast his crewmates and their captors would react, their chances of survival, their fighting skills and Chenle's lack thereof. 

Mark decides not to risk it. 

At the Naval Academy, Admiral Taemin always said that there's a way out of every situation, you just had to wait to find it; and Mark may not be the most patient person, but if this is a waiting game they are playing, he's going to win. Their moment is going to come and they're going to get the hell out of here. All of them. Alive. 

"Oh sweetheart, pirates don't negotiate either," Donghyuck drawls. "Negotiation means compromise and compromise means I don't get what I want. And I _really_ don't like not getting what I want."

Before Mark can reply, Donghyuck turns away, motioning towards a blond haired boy Mark assumes to be his quartermaster based on what he's picked up of the crew's dynamics so far. 

He can't quite catch what Donghyuck whispers in his ear but it doesn't take him long to figure it out as Blondie begins to pull on a wooden arm until a plank extends out over the water.

Fuck.

Things are escalating far quicker than Mark anticipated and it looks like they're going to be in deep waters soon — quite literally.

"So here's what's going to happen," Donghyuck starts, eyes dancing over the different members of Mark's crew before settling on Mark without any real interest, practically staring through him rather than looking at him.

"I am going to get every single member of your crew to walk that plank, and if I don't get the answers I want, you are going to watch every single one of them die. Drown, freeze to death, get eaten by sharks — whatever happens quicker."

Donghyuck meets Mark's eyes then but his gaze is so cruel that Mark immediately regrets the fleeting thought he had about how he missed those eyes that used to look right into him, rather than right through him.

"The only question now," Donghyuck hums, "is who do we start with?" 

Then he poses the exact question Mark was so afraid he would ask: "Since you're the captain, I think I'll let you choose. Who would you like to be your sacrificial lamb?"

Mark turns to look at his crew, although the idea of choosing between them makes his stomach churn so much he doesn't think he could do it even if his life depended on it. 

He looks at Jeno, his first mate and advisor in far more than just naval affairs, the boy he knows he can always trust to be by his side and who he admittedly harbours more feelings for than just friendship. 

His gaze moves to Johnny, the boy who is his brother in everything but blood, who picked him up when he was broken into pieces, who was by his side since the day Mark decided this is the life he wants. 

That takes him to Yuta, who helped piece him back together, who became his second honorary brother, completing their little trio at the naval academy. 

Mark can't help but notice how Yuta is holding Taeyong's hand and his heart swells. Taeyong has saved his life countless times, and he's healed him in more ways than just physical.

Lastly, he looks at Chenle, who is no doubt terrified but doing his best to appear brave, like a real sailor and not just a boy — but the truth is, he is just a boy. He may be the one Mark has the least ties to but he brought Chenle here to give him another chance at life, and he can't just take that away from him.

Patchwork and imperfect, but this is Mark's family. He can't ever let them go and it almost breaks him to think he might not have a way to save them.

"I volunteer," comes Jeno's voice, loud and clear, his expression bravely set in stone as he steps forward. 

"Jeno, no!" Mark exclaims and there are outcries from the rest of the crew with Johnny grabbing Jeno's arms to hold him back. 

Donghyuck cocks an eyebrow as he looks at Mark. "If you don't want him going first, you can very well choose someone else."

Mark doesn't reply. What can he possibly say? He can't choose someone else and as much as he wishes he could choose himself, that obviously isn't an option with this all being done to blackmail information out of him. 

Although, now that he comes to think of it, Mark can't help but wonder if maybe there's more to this situation than just blackmail, if somehow this is personal. Could this be revenge for—

Mark's train of thought gets cut off as Jeno is yanked forward by Blondie and shoved towards the plank.

"Shall I tie him up?" he asks Donghyuck, who shakes his head.

"No. A fast death isn't what we're looking for right now. We want to give _this one_ some time to talk."

Mark scowls as Jeno walks towards the end of the plank, his thoughts and heart racing as he tries to think of something — anything — that could save Jeno without getting anyone else killed in the process.

"So, _captain_ ," Donghyuck smirks. "Care to tell me where I can find the Sphere of Talos?"

"Huh?" is all Mark manages to get out before the ship around them shakes, and he barely manages to dive out of the way as one of the smaller masts comes crashing down.

"It's the warlocks, Captain," someone shouts and all hell breaks loose. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked the chapter, please do let me know in the comments below!! i love hearing your feedback!!
> 
> thank you for reading and i will see you soon in chapter three
> 
> find me 🥰💓  
> [ curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dcrksun)  
> &  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/dcrksun)


	3. Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this one took a while to post... I've recently started uni and it's kind of been kicking my ass! That being said, I actually have chapter four planned out already and I'm posting another fic this week too so STAY TUNED!!
> 
> I hope this chapter makes good sense, it's my first time writing action and as I've come to realise, it's actually pretty hard to translate the movie-like images in my head onto paper... but I worked really hard on it so I really hope you like it!!!
> 
> oh and of course, the biggest thank you to Jenna (99CANDY here on ao3) for betaing and being so supportive! Definitely check her out for some amazing works!!
> 
> Enjoy & I'll see you at the end <3

**PRESENT DAY - Mark**

**━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━**

**At sea, near the islets of Danoi Bay**

Since his rude awakening thanks to an attacking pirate crew, Mark’s day has taken turn after turn for the worse. Not only is his crew being held hostage to blackmail information out of him that could start wars, but this is all being done by none other than Lee Donghyuck — a pirate already ferocious enough without the added complications of their past.

By the time Donghyuck was making Jeno walk a plank, Mark was sure it couldn’t get any worse than this.

Naturally, he was wrong.

It wouldn’t have been any fun otherwise.

Now, as he lies on the ground amongst wooden shards and two equally disgruntled crews, Mark honestly doesn’t know whether he wants to laugh or cry. Truthfully, a good part of him just wants to keep lying on the ground until the situation miraculously resolves itself, but he knows he doesn’t have a moment to spare.

He jumps to his feet in seconds, scanning his surroundings. Much to his disappointment, the damage to the ship is far smaller than it appeared when a mast almost crushed him, and Donghyuck’s crew are yet to give Mark’s crew a chance to escape, albeit their apparent panic.

As another cannon hits the water, barely missing their ship, Mark decides that there might be a common enemy to defeat here that poses far more of a threat than Donghyuck.

For now.

Mark knows not to underestimate Donghyuck, but at this rate, with his crew occupied holding Mark’s crew hostage, none of them are getting out of here alive.

His gaze flies in the direction from where the cannons are coming, and his jaw nearly hits the ground. Mark would recognise that ship anywhere; its blood red deck and black sails burned into his mind alongside the horrific tales he’s heard.

With the initial shock of the attack, his mind completely brushed over the exclamation he had heard just minutes before. He hadn’t connected the dots that when someone declared their attackers to be “the warlocks”, they meant _that_ ship.

If Mark is right — and as much as he hates it, he knows he is — then his day just took another turn for the worse, and it’s a turn that may very well make this day his last.

After all, that ship, as red as though it were soaked in all the blood its pirates had spilled, belongs to none other than Park Jisung.

That ship is the Falcon’s Fury.

Maybe it’s just existential fear, or maybe it’s the memory of the last time Donghyuck and him came across a ship like this, but Mark knows that the two of them are going to have to work together.

Before he can communicate this realisation to Donghyuck, his attention is pulled away by Jeno calling his name.

Holy shit. Amidst all the chaos, Mark totally forgot about his first mate, who had been standing at the edge of a plank in the moments before the first cannon struck.

He immediately turns in the direction of the sound, only to find Jeno hanging from the plank by the tips of his fingers. Within seconds, he’s by his side, grabbing Jeno’s hands, his wrists, his arm, anything he can to keep him from falling.

In the background, he can hear Donghyuck shouting directions but right now, he’s so preoccupied with pulling Jeno to safety before another cannon hits that he can barely hear him over the sound of his own heartbeat.

“I’ve got you,” he breathes as he finally pulls Jeno back onto the deck. “God, you’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Jeno is similarly out of breath and the panic is still apparent on his face, but he’s already scrambling to his feet and assessing the situation.

“What do you want me to do, Captain?”

“Nothing as fucking self sacrificing as that,” Mark exclaims. “You can’t do shit like that Jeno, ever. I can’t lose you.”

Before Jeno can say anything in his defense, Mark continues to speak.

“Listen, I know that the last thing you want to do is work with pirates, but the people attacking us? They make defeating this crew look like a piece of cake, and if we want to live to tell this story, we are going to have to pull ourselves together and work together.”

As it appears, Donghyuck had been busy handing out instructions while Mark had been saving Jeno. The anchor was pulled up, someone was standing at the wheel, and even Mark’s crew had been disarmed judging by the pile of weapons on the ground.

Clearly, being attacked by another pirate ship while attacking an army ship was far from normal and not something anyone had prepared for, but Donghyuck seemed to be doing his best.

Now it was Mark’s turn to do the same.

"Tell the crew that for the time being, Dong— the pirate captain's word is as good as mine," he instructs Jeno before stepping over the fallen mast that now divides the deck in two.

He pays his own crew little mind other than giving them an encouraging nod and a onceover to make sure no one is injured, his gaze trained on Donghyuck.

Mark knows that there are way more important things at stake here than feelings and memories and year old grudges, but having a conversation with Donghyuck, even if it's only as captains, scares him. The notion of the two of them working together, even if it's only to defeat a common evil, is a little too reminiscent of times he'd rather not remember.

As Mark reasons that it's worth working with the enemy just as long as it means he and Donghyuck can protect the people they love, Mark can't help but wonder if they still fall onto each other's lists.

Luckily, he doesn't have much time to ponder about that as he reaches Donghyuck, who's currently tying the jib sheet trying to catch some good wind.

"Listen, _pirate_ ," Mark says, purposefully using that term and that derogatory term rather than Donghyuck's name, not wanting anyone to know of their previous association. "We are under attack. My crew is at risk, as is yours, and with a part of yours occupied keeping mine captive, and mine just standing around, we stand no chance."

"What are you saying?" Donghyuck gets out through gritted teeth, clearly out of breath as he pulls on another rope. "Because if you think this is your chance to escape, trust me, killing me will only leave you with a worse enemy. Or have you not heard the stories?"

"I’ve heard more than enough," Mark mutters. "Which is why, as much as it pains me to even suggest this, I want to work together."

Donghyuck pauses, an expression of confusion crossing his face. No, not confusion — it's mistrust. Donghyuck doesn't know whether he should trust Mark or not, and honestly Mark doesn't blame him. He's equally weary about this temporary alliance and he would very much like to avoid it if that were possible. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear like their alliance is optional.

"We won't try to double cross you. You have my word," Mark says firmly. He knows that if Donghyuck remembers anything of their past together, it will be that there are few things Mark honours more than his word. 

Of course, family happens to be one of the few things he does in fact hold above his word, and his crew are definitely his new family, but he hopes Donghyuck doesn't think about that one too much.

"What do you say, Captain?" he asks, extending his hand towards Donghyuck.

"I say that I don't have time to be shaking your hand," he says gruffly. "Can't you see that I'm working?"

Mark just raises an eyebrow like 'really, is that how we're doing this?' and Donghyuck reluctantly nods.

"Team work," he agrees. "But only until we get out of here, then I'm back to making your crew walk the plank."

"We'll see about that one," Mark mutters. "But for now, I think we should move the crew over to my ship."

"Excuse me?" Donghyuck scoffs.

"Come on, it makes perfect sense," Mark argues. "We are in partial cover of my ship, they won't even see us if we climb across on some ropes. It'll give us a momentary advantage, we can fire back at them from a ship they aren't expecting an attack from."

"Absolutely not."

"But it makes—"

"If you think I'm abandoning my ship, you're crazy. My answer is no, and that's final."

Mark heaves a reluctant sigh. He's just as reluctant to leave his ship behind but he knows that Donghyuck won't budge, and he also knows that they don't have any more time to waste.

"Then what's your oh-so-wonderful plan to save our asses?"

"My plan," Donghyuck starts with a smirk, "is to sneak onto your ship with some crew. Fire at the warlocks before they even notice the movement, then — and you're not going to like this part — I'm going to turn your ship sideways so we're in its full coverage as we make our getaway."

"Your plan is to make a getaway?" It's Mark's turn to scoff now. "What happened to the notorious pirate Donghyuck Lee I've heard so much of? Shouldn't you want them dead?"

"Oh trust me, I very much want them dead," Donghyuck spits. "But I have two reasons that are making me reconsider. Firstly, I have a brain and I know that their ship is much better armed than mine."

"What's the second reason?"

"The second reason," Donghyuck grins, "is that this, Mark Lee, is the Burning Tide. No faster ship in the Caribbean. Our getaway is guaranteed."

Donghyuck's words drip with self contentment and Mark has to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Fine," he finally agrees. "What do you want me to do?"

━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━

Donghyuck's instructions were clear, and his plan smart, as much as Mark hates to admit that. 

In fact, it infuriates him that this so-called master plan is one that requires leaving his own ship stranded in the middle of the sea, if not blown to pieces by the Falcon's Fury. The only thing that makes him even angrier is the fact that he sees sense in his plan.

The Burning Tide is an infamously fast pirate ship, unlike Mark's ship which is due for some repairs and upgrades. It also happens to be the ship further from the Falcon's Fury, with the War Storm rather conveniently shielding it from the direct line of fire.

Mark has to hold back a string of curse words as he watches yet another cannonball ram forcefully into the ship he's grown to call home. 

His crew seems equally frustrated and clearly confused by Mark's decision not only to abandon their ship, but to abandon their path of escape. He'll have to explain to them later about the warlock ship currently firing at them, about how dangerous they are and how no sacrifice is too big to save them from the consequences of their capture.

Of course, his crew has heard the same stories that Mark has, but they haven’t ever met a pirate until now. They don’t know just how brutal the reality of encountering a pirate can be. They don’t understand that no matter the brave soldier you are, there is reason to fear the men who inspire these notorious tales.

His head already hurts from trying to come up with an explanation that doesn't give away too much. As much as his crew have become his friends, how could they ever respect him as their captain if they knew just how intertwined his life was with pirates? With the very pirate currently holding their crew hostage and threatening all of their lives?

Mark supposes he could just go with the version that as captain, it’s his responsibility to make these decisions, to keep everyone safe. Somehow he doesn’t think they’d believe him.

Before he can get too lost in the world of his own thoughts, the commotion over on the other ships pulls him back to reality. It’s just another cannon shot, and Mark would probably have missed it if it wasn’t for the ferocious cheer that came with it. 

Now that he’s looking over, Mark isn’t sure quite what the cause for celebration is. Granted, they managed to fire up the cannons on the War Storm, but they also managed to miss the warlock ship. Instead of hitting one of the main masts, they just left a burning hole in the middle of the—

The cunning bastard. They didn’t miss at all. The cannon had hit exactly where Donghyuck no doubt wanted it to hit: in the middle of the mainsail. The torn cloth is now aimlessly flapping about in the wind, which — whilst not looking like much of a problem at first — is actually obstructing the other sails from catching the wind. 

Donghyuck gave the warlocks a lose-lose choice. Either they choose to ignore the damage and sail with the force of the wind no longer on their side, or they choose to sacrifice some of their crew now, taking down the damaged sail but giving them less manpower on board.

Fuck, that’s actually bordering on genius.

Mark is so distracted watching Donghyuck at the steering wheel that he doesn’t even realise that the two members of his crew that he took with him are climbing back on board. 

“Captain says to make our getaway now,” comes the announcement from the boy Mark’s just grown to call Blondie in his head. 

“What? He wants us to leave him?” Mark scoffs in disbelief. What the hell is Donghyuck planning?

He doesn’t get an answer. Instead, Blondie starts handing out instructions to the crew. Judging by the way he knows exactly how everything works aboard the ship, Mark assumes he’s the first mate — or quartermaster as pirates like to say.

“You, army brat,” someone addresses Mark. 

“Excuse you?” Mark exclaims. “I’m a Commodore of the Royal Navy, I will not be spoken to in such a manner by some pirate scoundr—”

“Yeah, okay, whatever, _Commodore,_ ” the boy cuts him off. “Are you going to actually do anything or are you too busy staring longingly at your ship?”

“I—”

Mark never gets a chance to finish his objection as the boy grabs him by the arm, pulling him in the same direction that Jeno had followed Blondie just seconds before.

━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━

Mark is halfway up the rope ladder when a gust of wind hits him and when he looks up, he can see the sails flare, blooming like a flower. With wind like that, and with what’s supposedly the fastest ship in the Caribbean, it’ll be no time until they’re well and truly out of reach of the War Storm.

What the hell is Donghyuck planning? And more importantly, why does Mark care so goddamn much? Wouldn’t his life be infinitely easier if the pirate captain failed to make whatever grandiose escape he’s planning? 

When Mark glances back towards his own ship, he can see that Donghyuck is now in the crow’s nest. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he glances back towards the ground where Blondie is standing but before he can even form the question on his mind, the sound of a gunshot brings his attention back to the War Storm. 

Judging by the way the mainsail now swings out over the water, Donghyuck had shot the coil of ropes affixing the sail. 

“He’s crazy,” Mark exclaims just as Donghyuck leaps into the air and towards one of the swinging ropes, clearly hoping that the momentum from the mainsail swirling around will carry him over to his own ship.

“Good thing he is,” Blondie smirks from below. “Otherwise he sure as hell wouldn’t be able to pull this one off.”

Mark is about to retort but the words honestly catch in his throat when Donghyuck lets go of the rope, flying through the air with nothing but his momentum to push him forward.

It’s not until Donghyuck lands on the deck with a stumble and Mark lets out a sigh of relief that he realises he had been holding his breath that whole time. 

“Did everyone see that?” Donghyuck lets out a breathless laugh. “Because I will _not_ be doing that again.”

Laughter and cheers are heard from around the ship, the crew clearly happy to have their captain safe and onboard.

Donghyuck looks up then and Mark can’t tear his gaze away quite quickly enough, their eyes interlocking over the distance. It’s only a couple of seconds but time seems to freeze between them. 

Mark wants to say something. He wants to shake his head and say Donghyuck is crazy but that he’s glad he’s alive.

That’s what he would’ve said a couple of years ago, isn’t it?

No. He can’t let himself think like that. The past is in the past, and that’s how it should stay.

“Let’s get the hell away from them,” Mark mutters, tearing his gaze violently away from Donghyuck. “Then me and my crew are getting the hell out of _here_.”

━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━

Mark is angry. He’s angry because he lost the ship he worked so hard to earn, leaving his crew stranded on a pirate ship in the middle of the Caribbean. He’s angry because he didn’t just endanger his crew; he endangered their mission, possibly pushing two Kingdoms towards war, and he can’t do anything to fix his mistake. 

Most of all though, he’s angry at Jeno, who won’t stop mouthing off about the series of stupid decisions Mark has made, interrogating and reprimanding him like there’s no tomorrow. 

Except that’s not even true. He isn’t really mad at Jeno, or anyone else. He’s mad at himself because everything Jeno is saying is true, and Mark royally messed up this time. 

Messed up. Such a subjective term. He’s been replaying the events of the day over and over in his head and he honestly doesn’t know what it is that he could’ve done differently. Alas, even if it isn’t his fault, it is his responsibility to find a solution — and he’s completely out of ideas.

Plotting an escape — if it can even be called that given that they don’t actually have anywhere to escape to — has proved pretty fruitless so far, although Mark has definitely gotten very good at sending murderous glances towards Donghyuck’s crew. 

“We’re unarmed, Mark, in the middle of the sea, on a pirate ship, sailing further and further away from our destination…” Jeno’s voice drones on in the background and Mark’s blood is boiling with every word, heart growing heavier and heavier.

“...all because you decided it was time to get chummy with these _hooligans_ , so we could escape a worse fate, or so you say. Honestly, I—”

“Will you just shut up!” Mark exclaims, the words coming out far louder than he intends, grabbing the attention of practically everyone near them.

“Fuck,” he mutters, lowering his voice. “I don’t mean to shout. I just— I don’t think it’s very productive to be pointing fingers right now. Constructive ideas are what we need, not endless criticism.”

Jeno heaves a sigh. 

“Well, I don’t have any constructive ideas, Mark,” he mutters. “All I have is a sense of building dread that I’m about to watch all us suffer the fate I nearly did before that warlock crew attacked.”

With those words, Jeno moves his gaze over to the rest of their crew, huddled just a couple of metres from them, giving their captain and first mate some time to talk but clearly hanging onto every word they can overhear. 

Mark bites his lip as his eyes land on Chenle’s tear stained cheeks. Fuck. Mark really thought that he could give him a chance at a better life by bringing him along, but now it seems that he may have taken any and all chances at a life away from him. 

His heart twists as he watches Johnny wrap an arm around the shivering boy, Doyoung handing him his jacket, Taeyong and Yuta standing at each other’s sides like nothing can separate them.

“I’m going to fix this,” Mark says, a new sense of determination in his voice as he grabs onto Jeno’s hand, squeezing it tight. “Make sure everyone’s doing okay, yeah? I have an idea.”

“And what might that be?” Jeno asks, his voice much softer now as he interlocks their fingers, eyes meeting Mark’s, anguished but also filled with trust. 

“I’m going to talk to the captain,” Mark declares quietly. 

He supposes those words don’t make much sense given that Jeno doesn’t know about his past with Donghyuck, and maybe they wouldn’t make sense even if he did. After all, the man who captains this ship is very far from the young, reckless boy Mark used to know. 

Still, he can’t help but hope that a part of him is still the same, under all the sneers and crude remarks. He can’t help but hope but Donghyuck still has some compassion within him, some love even. As naive as that may be, Mark doesn’t have much choice but to believe. 

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Jeno says, but his resistance is weak, probably because he already knows his argument won’t hold. Mark might be risking his own safety by approaching Donghyuck, but as of now, they are all at risk of dying anyway.

“It’s worth a shot, Jen, you and I both know it,” Mark retorts gently. “And I’m not going to die.”

“Well, on the off chance that you do die,” Jeno starts, pausing for a moment and scrunching his nose like he always does when he’s nervous. “Should we like makeout? Because you know, if we don’t now, we may never know what it would’ve been like.”

Mark wants to laugh. He’s wanted to kiss his best friend for the longest time but he didn’t think Jeno could ever reciprocate those unexplored feelings. And yet, here he is, asking him if they should make out in case they don’t make it out. 

“You’re crazy.” He chuckles. “Not because I don’t want to though,” he adds quickly. “It was just very abrupt, and I—”

Before he can even finish, Jeno is pressing his lips against his, and Mark is flooded with warmth; but also something else. It’s almost like he feels guilty. Guilty for kissing someone else right here and right now, on Donghyuck’s ship. Or is what he really feels guilty for the fact that he’s not in the moment with Jeno, but in the past with Donghyuck, imagining his lips against his rather than those of the boy he knows he’s meant to love?

“I should go,” Mark mumbles against Jeno’s lips, forcing a smile as he pulls away. He doesn’t want to hurt Jeno’s feelings, but his own emotions are breaking havoc inside his head, and right now, he really does not have the time to sort them out.

“Be careful,” Jeno says softly, cheeks flushed and eyes glinting as he lets go of Mark’s hand, heading back towards the rest of their crew.

Mark just nods, eyes already scanning his surroundings for Donghyuck. His heart drops a little bit when he sees him standing by the wheel, with a clear view of where Mark is standing — where he just kissed Jeno. 

He tells himself this sinking feeling is only because he’s worried that this will affect his chances at winning Donghyuck’s sympathy. Luckily, he’s always been good at lying to himself. 

“New boyfriend?” Donghyuck quips as soon as Mark is within earshot. 

“That’s really none of your business.”

“Mmh, well, you were ruining my view of the sea sticking your tongue down his throat.”

“I wasn’t— You know what, it doesn’t matter,” Mark mutters. “I’m here to negotiate our release, not to discuss my love life.”

“Negotiate your what now?” Donghyuck repeats questioningly, his face scrunching up with exaggerated confusion. 

“Our release, Donghyuck,” Mark says, taking a deep breath, ready to launch into the speech he prepared in his head during his walk over. 

“Save me the speech,” Donghyuck intercepts before he can even open his mouth. “I don’t want to hear all the ‘if you have any good in you, you’ll let us live’, ‘I know you’re a better man than this’ bullshit.”

“I wasn’t going to say you’re a better man than this,” Mark says coldly.

“Ouch. Should I be hurt by that?”

“I don’t care, Donghyuck.” 

Well, this isn’t exactly going to plan. Bickering wasn’t getting Mark any closer to saving his crew.

“Just,” he sputters, “tell me what it is that you want exactly?”

“You know what I want,” Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “I want you to lead me to the Sphere of Talos.”

Now _that_ is a surprising twist of events. The sphere of what now?

Mark knows he’s taking way too long to reply, but he needs to play his cards right. They denied having any knowledge previously and Donghyuck didn’t believe them. Hell, Jeno nearly ended up swimming with the sharks. Why would it be any different now? For whatever reason, Donghyuck and his crew are convinced that Mark holds the key to their question; his word alone isn’t going to be enough to change that.

“Why should I help you?” he asks carefully.

“Because you’re my hostages. And I won’t hesitate to finish what I started if you don’t cooperate.”

“Oh yeah?” Mark scoffs. “And why should I believe that the same fate won’t come to me and my crew if we do help you and we’re no longer useful?”

“I really don’t think you’re in a position to negotiate,” Donghyuck declares, finally turning his full attention to Mark. “Or is the fact that you’re on _my_ ship, completely weaponless and in the middle of the Caribbean with nowhere to go somehow not enough indication of the power dynamic here?”

Truth be told, the longer Mark spends having this conversation with Donghyuck, the more uncertain he becomes of how he wanted this conversation to solve their problem in the first place. 

Admiral Taemin would tell him to treat this like a game of poker, act like he has more power than he actually does, fake his confidence until it scares his enemies. 

Confidence, Mark, he repeats to himself. He needs to pull himself together.

Donghyuck can’t kill him, not if he thinks that he’s the only one who can lead him to whatever this mystical item is. He can however kill Mark’s crew —that’s his trump card. 

Mark needs to take it away from him. 

“The Sphere of Talos is a really important item,” he says, doing his best to sound certain of his words. “It would’ve been unwise to trust one person with the details of its whereabouts.”

“What are you trying to say?” Donghyuck questions.

“I’m trying to tell you that I don’t know its whereabouts, not alone. Me and the other members of my crew each hold a piece of the puzzle that can lead you to it.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Are you willing to test that out?”

Donghyuck’s extended silence signals that Mark’s plan is indeed working and he has to bite the inside of his cheek so his victorious smile doesn’t take over his features.

“You owe it to me to help, you know,” Donghyuck says after a couple of moments.

Mark raises an eyebrow in question but deep down he knows exactly what Donghyuck means. 

“I lost a lot of people, Mark. You knew that when you didn’t show up, leaving me to wonder what the hell I did that was so wrong you stopped giving a fuck about me.”

Mark doesn’t have the words to fight him. He doesn’t _want_ to fight him. Honestly, he just wants the earth to swallow him whole.

“The sphere is important to me,” Donghyuck states. “Don’t add it to the list of things I’ve lost because of you.”

Emotional blackmail is the name of the game, and Donghyuck is winning. Or is he? Because Mark knew him pretty well at a time and the twinge of pain in his voice seems so genuine that it hurts.

And yet, Mark still feels angry. How dare Donghyuck blame everything on him? 

“You want to know why I didn’t show up?” he asks, his voice steely and cold, and he already knows he’s going to regret what he’s about to say. “Why I _stopped giving a fuck about you_? It’s exactly because you were acting like the psychopath you apparently turned out to be.”

The silence that hangs in the air is lethal. 

“I’ll help you, Donghyuck,” Mark makes the false promise. “But I won’t do it in exchange for nothing, and I especially won’t do it because I owe you.” 

“So you’re going to help?” Donghyuck asks, his voice lacking its previous edge. If Mark didn’t know better, he’d almost think he managed to hurt the boy.

“On one condition,” Mark nods and he knows even before he says the words that these next few days are going to be one hell of a ride.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought in the comments!! :]
> 
> find me <3  
> [ curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dcrksun)  
> &  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/dcrksun)


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